TV Review: Doc Martin Series 1-4

[johnottinger]

Originally published at Grasping for the Wind. Please leave any comments there.



Actors: Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz, Stewart Wright, Selina Cadell, Angeline Ball
Directors: Ben Bolt, Minkie Spiro
Writers: Ben Bolt, Craig Ferguson, Dominic Minghella, Edana Minghella, Jack Lothian
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Number of discs: 9
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media
DVD Release Date: April 26, 2011
Run Time: 1440 minutes

Doctor Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) has a problem. Not long ago, he was a bigwig London surgeon, confident and abrasive, a god in microcosm. But then it came, hematophobia - the irrational fear of blood - rears its ugly head in Dr. Ellingham’s life. Unable to ply his trade as a surgeon, Doctor Ellingham goes into hiding in the small Cornish seaside village of Portwenn, a sleepy little place full of eccentric characters and a place of fond childhood memories with his aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole).

Quickly dubbed Doc Martin (a name he hates) by the locals, Martin battles his phobia while treating the villagers as their general practitioner (GP) for all sorts of oddities and ailments. As gifted a diagnostician as he is a surgeon, Doc Martin excels at his craft. Too bad his House-like abrasive manner, Monk-like obsession with cleanliness and blood phobia, and a Midsomer Murders worth of oddball patients won’t allow him to be professional.

From the local plumber and his son - that fix nothing and talk a lot - the lazy, phone hogging secretary, lying patients, to the frustrating but beautiful local schoolteacher Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz) Doc Martin is comically unprepared for Portwenn life. Doc Martin is a man out of his element that succeeds against the odds.

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Clunes shines as the scowling, big-eared, irascible doctor. The role is played so well that the reader almost wants to shrug their shoulders along with him when he keeps insisting (to no avail) that he is Doctor Ellingham and that he would like some professionalism please. It is wonderful to watch as Clunes takes the rough-hewn doctor and slowly softens him over the course of four seasons. His budding friendships with the plumbers and his boyish crush on Louisa slowly unfold in a way that is both believable and entertaining. Clunes makes Doc Martin’s pratfalls and social mishaps all the more funny by keeping the (seemingly) stodgy demeanor of the professional doctor always at the forefront with just a hint of caring in the eyes.

Caroline Catz is a strong female lead. Playing right off of Clunes, she loves his oddities and at the very same time bemoans them. She is the softening influence on Doc Martin, yet she is anything but soft herself. Catz is the schoolteacher every young boy wanted to have, and the type of woman every man wants to love. Yet she is also fiercely independent, and when she falls pregnant later in the series, she is able to make it on her own.

Each episode is full of witty dialogue and repartee that will find you repeating it the next day at the office. Particularly in the memorable way the doctor says “No!” and abruptly walks away, or cleverly rejects and individuals kindly offer with a scowl and a “I’ve spoken to Chris. He rang me. He thinks you’re an arse. I think you’re an arse too. Enjoy your weekend.” Or in responding to the patient query about their prescription, “And you reckon these will work, do you?” To which Martin rejoinders “No - I just prescribe them for fun.” Each episode is chock full of these exasperated witticisms. You will be laughing out loud.

In Series 1
, Martin arrives at the village of Portwenn and meets the dog he hates who loves him, and discovers the unorthodox and unhealthy conditions of his new surgery. As viewers meet the character and those he will be interacting with, we are treated to a hilarious bit of fish-out-of-water comedy, consistent, repeated comedic elements that tie one show to another and keep the viewer easily invested in the characters, and some beautiful English seaside views. From the very first episode, when Martin accidentally uncovers and announces an illicit affair, to Martin’s repeated exasperation with untrusting and incredulous patients, to the surprising closing scene, this is dramedy at its finest.

Managing to offend everyone in town over the course of Series 1, Doc Martin is heartbroken when an old flame of Louisa Glasson’s returns and sweeps her off her feet in Series 2
. If at all possible, Martin becomes more irascible and curmudgeonly while saving many lives (even if he is always exasperated by the villagers’ stupidity.) Still, he learns a little bit about getting along in a village a la Cheers. Meanwhile, Martin continues to pursue Louisa, consistently sticking his foot in his mouth and mucking up the relationship.

In Series 3
, the medical cases really stand out. Martin must help a narcoleptic constable, deal with the aging of his beloved Aunt Joan, and avoid a hypochondriac hotelier. The will they/won’t they of Louisa and Martin comes to a head as well, and their bickering relationship finds its natural conclusion.

Louisa returns with a surprising announcement in Series 4
. This set of episodes is more serious than the previous ones, focusing much more on the bickering and relationship of Louisa and Martin. And old flame (Lia Williams) of Martin comes to Portwenn and helps him work on conquering his hematophobia. The medical cases appear and add some humor and ick factor (especially the case with the guy who eats his hair) but they take a sideline to the love story angle, which ends on a cliffhanger leaving the viewer eagerly anticipating Series 5.

Doc Martin is a wonderful series full of a mix of dark humor, slapstick, eccentrics, and a love story that is both funny and endearing. The show is one of the best dramas on TV on both sides of the Atlantic, and well worth having on your DVD shelf for repeated viewings.

Acorn’s 4-series DVD collection includes all 30 episodes on 9 discs, with photo galleries, cast trivia, and cast filmographies to add to your viewing enjoyment. You will be ready for when Season 5 (filming in 2011) comes out on ITV in the UK and in the US soon after.